The sitting stool is one of the earliest forms of furniture – so if you want to explore the rudiments (and fun) of woodworking, build a wood stool. So that’s what we’re going to do with this contest. Sitting stools serve numerous applications and therefore they take on numerous shapes, styles, and geometries. There are bar stools, musician stools, artist stools, breakfast stools, shop stools, and more. For this contest build a stool of any style or size you want – except we’re talking about a seat, not a footstool or step stool.

Want some great examples for inspiration? Scroll down, there’s a gallery of ideas at the bottom.

As a woodworking project, a sitting stool doesn’t require much wood – but don’t be fooled into thinking they’re simplistic. Crafting a wood stool will challenge your skills in a fun way. For example, unless your design is an unusual one (which is okay!), you’ll most likely get intimate with the mortise and tenon joint plus a couple of variations (like adding wedges for strength or chopping at an angle to accomodate rake and splay). You’ll also probably get good use out of your hand tools like planes, rasps, scrapers, spokeshaves, handsaws, and layout tools like the t-bevel. You’ll definitey face the joinery and assembly challenges that follow the geometry requirements of splayed and raked legs.

But who knows? There are endless ways you can build a sitting stool. For the seat, you can sculpt it, cane it, upholster it, make it round or square or triangular or something else. Same limitless choices on your legs. It can have any number of legs you want, they can be sculpted or turned or tapered or steam bent or bent-laminated, or anything else that appeals to you.

There is no doubt that’ll you’ll have a good time with this project. See the examples below for some ideas.

Complete Your Project, Get $50 Store Credit:

All entries receive $50 store credit on November 8 upon project delivery. Yes, you keep your project and we give you $50. However, we keep the projects for one week while the panel of judges inspect each project to determine the winners.

Rules and Guidelines

How to Submit Your Project

Register for the contest using the form at the top of the page. Free entry.

Deliver your project on November 8, 2014 to any Woodworkers Source location. We will take care of transporting projects to be displayed at Practical Art (downtown Phoenix)

Pick up your project on November 14th or after. If you’re in the Tucson area, you can simply deliver and pick up your project at our Tucson store. We’ll arrange transport to and from Phoenix for the judging and public display. Entries must be made in person. We won’t be able to accommodate crating and shipping individual projects that are shipped in from other parts of the country for this contest.

Your stool is yours to keep after the contest.

Judges will be using the week between November 8 and November 14 to make their selections.

Materials to Use

You do not need to buy your wood from Woodworkers Source in order to enter the contest. Wood is the focus of this project and you may use any wood you’d like. The seat can be upholstered or not. You can incorporate metal or other materials into the legs or support but we want to see wood as the focus.

Design Considerations

There is no constraint on the design or style, let your own tastes be your guide. You can replicate a design or come up with your own. Use any woodworking process you want for creating your stool – such as turning, carving, sculpting, laminating, bending, tapering, etc, etc, etc.

Does the Project Have to Be New? How Many Can You Enter?

We prefer that you enter a project you build specifically for this contest, but that’s not a hard and fast rule. So, if you want to enter a stool you have already built, take a close look at it and determine if it needs to be refinished, waxed or polished. If it’s scratched or faded from time and use, do what it takes to refresh it so that it makes the best impression – this is, after all, a contest. You can enter more than one stool as long as they are different. There is no need to enter more than one if they are from a matched set.

Finishing

A winning entry will have a fabulous finish. You can use any finishing process; you can use stains, dyes, glazes or any clear wood finish you want. We encourage you give your project the best impression with a well-done finish. Start your project sooner rather than later to allow yourself plenty of time to get a good finish. It takes time for finishing and staining products to dry between coats, and it takes time to polish your finish to your desired sheen, so give yourself time to do it well.

If there’s one thing to understand about creating a rustic or distressed finish in alder woodworking projects, it’s this: there is no wrong answer. But still, maybe you want a handful of ideas to get your creative gears greased up. Indeed, of all wood finishes, rustic/aged techniques are probably the most fun to do – perhaps because they’re more art than skill. You’ll have a good time with these techniques, and you’ll have even more fun as you modify them to suit your taste. If you have questions or comments, just share down at the bottom.

Working from left to right in the picture above, I’ll walk you through how to do each one. Click on any picture to zoom in for a closer look.

1. Clear Lacquer, Epoxy-Filled Knots & Cracks

The most straightforward way to finish knotty alder is to emphasize the knots. Using two-part epoxy and black pigment, you can fill in the cracks of the knots with high-contrast black.

Apply dewaxed shellac for a sealer. Sand it smooth with a fine grit sand paper or finishing pad. Apply 2 or 3 coats to your satisfaction. The purpose of the shellac is to give you a good, smooth surface to apply the lacquer, ultimately making it much easier to get a glass-smooth sheen.

Spray lacquer, sanding between coats. Apply 2 or 3 coats.

After the final coat has dried, give it a light sanding with a finish pad or abrasive sponge. Polish the lacquer with a buffers polish or wax.

2. Dark Even Color, Epoxy-Filled Knots & Cracks

Alder is a wood that doesn’t accept stains very well, resulting in blotchy color. Even though we’re going for a rustic or distressed appearance, a blotchy stain can still look downright ugly. Perhaps try this finishing method to get nice, even color. For greater effect, fill the cracks with black epoxy before applying this finish.

Apply a light colored dye. In this sample, that’s Golden Fruitwood, and it makes a light reddish to pink color.

Apply a sealer. Zinsser SealCoat is a fine choice because it’s universal. One coat is all you need, let it dry, then if it feels like it needs it, do a quick and light scuff sand to remove dust nibs in the sealer.

Apply a gel stain to glaze the color. For this sample we used Old Masters Dark Walnut Gel Stain, which is a very dark brown. Wipe it on to the surface, then wipe it off. Be careful to be gentle enough that the gel leaves a good, even coat of color on the board.

***The next four samples employ a weathering technique that creates a textured wood surface. Using an angle grinder or a drill with a wire wheel, the process is quick and effective. The looks you can get by adding a little bit of gel stain to the textured wood are fantastically diverse. Tips for how to texture alder with an angle grinder are at the bottom.
***

3. Dark Weathered Alder

To get a nice dark and weathered appearance in alder, try this:

Using a wire wheel in an angle grinder, texture the alder (details at bottom).

Lightly sand with a fine grit (150 or 220 grit perhaps) sanding sponge. Don’t try to level the ridges and produced during the texture process, just knock down fuzzy grain.

Apply a sealer. Spraying is easiest due to the texturing – brushing or wiping is more laborious. Lacquer sanding sealer comes in aerosol cans if you do not have HVLP spray equipment.

After the sealer dries, use a dark brown gel stain — Old Masters Dark Walnut Gel Stain is shown here. Wipe it on and wipe it off. The gel will collect in the valleys you created during the texturing process.

Allow the stain to dry, then apply 2 or 3 coats of spray lacquer to seal and protect.

4. Country Pickled Alder

Perhaps you want a pleasant light country look? Same process, just a different gel stain color.

Using a wire wheel in an angle grinder, texture the alder (details at bottom).

Lightly sand with a fine grit (150 or 220 grit perhaps) sanding sponge. Don’t try to level the ridges and produced during the texture process, just knock down fuzzy grain.

Apply a sealer. Spraying is easiest due to the texturing – brushing or wiping is more laborious. Lacquer sanding sealer comes in aerosol cans if you do not have HVLP spray equipment.

After the sealer dries, use a white gel stain — Old Masters Pickling White Gel Stain is shown here. Wipe it on and wipe it off. The gel will collect in the valleys you created during the texturing process.

Allow the stain to dry, then apply 2 or 3 coats of spray lacquer to seal and protect.

5. Charred Wood Finish

Here’s a unique look that resembles charred or burnt wood, and it’s easy to pull off.

Using a wire wheel in an angle grinder, texture the alder (details at bottom).

Lightly sand with a fine grit (150 or 220 grit perhaps) sanding sponge. Don’t try to level the ridges and produced during the texture process, just knock down fuzzy grain.

Apply a black gel stain. Old Masters Spanish Oak is used in this sample. Wipe it on, then wipe it off. Allow the stain to dry. There’s a chance that the wipe-off procedure will reveal enough of the wood that you’re pleased with the look. If so, skip to step 5.

Use a sanding block with 220-grit sandpaper and lightly sand the workpiece.

Seal and protect your project with any topcoat finish you want. Most likely polyurethane or lacquer. Due to the texture of the wood, spraying is easiest. Brushing or wiping is more difficult.

6. Reclaimed Red Barn Wood

Similarly, you can use a reddish stain that just might spark memories of summers at the farm and the scent of Grampa’s tractor shed:

Using a wire wheel in an angle grinder, texture the alder (details at bottom).

Lightly sand with a fine grit (150 or 220 grit perhaps) sanding sponge. Don’t try to level the ridges and produced during the texture process, just knock down fuzzy grain.

Apply a reddish brown gel stain. Old Masters Cherry is used in this sample. Wipe it on, then wipe it off. Allow the stain to dry.

Use a sanding block with 220-grit sandpaper and lightly sand the workpiece.

Seal and protect your project with any topcoat finish you want. Most likely polyurethane or lacquer. Due to the texture of the wood, spraying is easiest. Brushing or wiping is more difficult.

How To Create a Weathered Texture on Wood

Click the images to enlarge, use your arrow keys to scroll through each one.

A simple wire cup wheel on your angle grinder is what performs the magic of weathering the wood. A wire wheel on a drill also works, but is slower.

Work the wire wheel back and forth, going with the grain. Be sure to wear a dust mask and goggles because this generates a lot of dust.

After a couple of quick passes, you’ll quickly notice the texture coming out.

A little side light cast across the grain reveals the valleys and ridges of the textured alder

After texturing, use a fine grit sanding sponge of 180 or 220 grit to remove “fuzz”. Then apply a gel stain of any color you want.

After the stain is dry, using a sanding block with some 220-grit sandpaper. A couple of passes is all it takes to remove the stain from the ridges. Clean off the dust, then seal and protect this with your topcoat finish of choice.

This rustic knotty alder entry door is brought to life with black epoxy filling apply to the cracks and knots. Here’s how to do it yourself.

When you’re building a project out of a knotty or rustic wood like alder, pine, mesquite or hickory, you can give those boards a fantastic boost in stability and appearance by filling the cracks with wood filler, glue mixed with sawdust or epoxy. Probably other substances, too.

For this demonstration, we’re working with clear two-part liquid epoxy, which is easy enough to buy at your nearest hardware store. And the sample boards you see in these pictures are knotty alder. But, as stated above, the process works just fine in other woods with knots or splits.

We’re also tinting this epoxy with black pigment by Mixol. But that’s optional. You could leave the epoxy clear, mix it with saw dust, mix it with powdered stone like turquoise, and so on. The process is more or less the same.

Materials needed:

Two-part liquid expoxy

Black tint or pigment

Small disposable mixing cup

Stir sticks or disposable spoons

Needle or pin

Latex gloves

Blue masking tape

Denatured alcohol

Black felt tip marker

The Process:

First, some tips. It’s best to do this process before your project is assembled and before it’s sanded, stained or finished. You’ll do those things after filling. It’s perfectly fine to stain and apply finish on top of cured epoxy. Sometimes you’ll want to fill knots or cracks before you cut your boards to size if they’re severe and would pose a safety hazard otherwise.

Mix small batches rather than large ones, even if you have a lot of knots to fill. That’s because once epoxy is mixed, it only gives you about 5 minutes of working time before it starts to harden.

Step 1

If the knots or cracks go all the way through your board, flip it over and cover the backside of the void with masking tape. This helps prevent a nasty mess leaking through, or worse your board getting glued to your workbench.

Step 2

In a small disposable mixing cup, mix your epoxy. The mix is usually 1:1 hardener to resin, but check the instructions on your epoxy.

As soon as the two parts come in contact with one another, you’ve initiated the hardening reaction. You have about 5 minutes before the epoxy is too stiff to manipulate into the cracks.

Step 3

Add a drop or two of tint to your epoxy.

This step is optional. You could leave the epoxy clear, or mix in other substances like saw dust or powdered stone.

Step 4

A little bit of Mixol pigment goes a long, long way so do not use too much. Here we’ve used just a drop. Stir the mixture, and get to work.

Step 5

Using a spoon or stick, work the mixture into your knot or crack. Then allow it to dry.

Tip: If bubbles form, pierce them with a small pin or needle.

Tip: work quickly, and don’t mix too much epoxy at once because you only have about 5 minutes of working time before the epoxy sets up.

Step 6

Once the epoxy dries, you’ll probably notice that large cracks and voids aren’t totally filled. No problem, though. Mix up another small batch and hit it again. This is common for these larger holes and voids.

Step 7

Once the epoxy is dry and well filled, leveling it out is swift work with a block plane. You could also use a chisel, but a plane is better. Sanding is risky because there’s a good chance you’ll create a noticeable divot to the outside of your filled knot. A plane is faster and gives you a good, level surface anyway – much better than sanding.

Use your black felt tip marker if your fill job still shows some white specs in the epoxy.

From here, you assemble, sand, stain and finish your project as you normally would.

Step 8

Clean up.

If epoxy has leaked onto your workbench, denatured alcohol is the best solution. Soak a shop towel or rag in denatured alcohol and rub the epoxy. It’ll come up quickly.